Its brings us extreme gratification and joy to announce our new GRK9's of the Month. This time we can't just recognize one dog this month- this duo needs recognition together for their training accomplishments.
Everyone meet Ella and Tucker
We asked their owner Amy to answer some of these questions to provide insight on their journey, both personal and training goals.
1. How old was Ella and Tucker when you got them?
2. Where did you get them from?
3 Why did you pick them?
4. Why did you want to begin training?
5. What was some of your training goals?
6. What was the biggest obstacle to overcome during training?
7. What are you guys working on now?
8. If you could give any of our clients advice about accomplishing your training goals, what would it be?
Here is what she had to say:
Ella was 10 months old when we got her. Tucker was two years old when we got him. Both of them are adopted from the Erin Humane Society, we love supporting this location as it's a no kill shelter and the ladies in there are amazing. Ella was rescued from a fair where she was being sold for $25, her living conditions consisted of a box with holes. When we first met her She was curled up in the corner of her kennel, so tiny, we fell in love with her immediately. Tucker was passed from shelter to shelter, his family surrendered him as he was showing aggression to a young child in their home, Tucker also had signs of abuse. He was moved from three shelters before he ended up in Erin. I visited him daily so he would get to know me before bringing him home. The first two days I was there all he did was stare out the window and cry, The ladies told me he did that since the day he arrived, they believed he was looking out the window for his family. Tucker is very frightened of both dogs and children however when he met Ella he too fell in love! They both have very different personalities Ella is certainly a girl and Tucker is a jovial boy. They both suffer from deep rooted fear that displays itself in different ways depending on the circumstance. At home Tucker is very safe therefore very sweet and loving. He loves his toys loves being hugged and kissed and most importantly loves playing fetch. The cutest thing he does is watch TV with his legs stretched out behind him. Ella would be happy being petted all day long, she loves her space when she's sleepy, loves biting Tucker's ears (he likes it too) and most importantly her cage, she feels safe and content curling up in it. It helps with her separation anxiety. I decided to put them both in training as my dream was to have them off leash and well behaved to the outside world. I love them so much and want to make sure they are safe. being properly trained is for both their safety and people/dogs around them. Our biggest training obstacle with Ella is getting her to focus, stop spinning and control her barking. Tucker is different, he is very intelligent but also very scared and protective especially now finding his forever home and having a mommy and sister he so desperately wants to protect. His fear would be his biggest training obstacle. Since Tucker and Ella have been with grassrootsK9 the changes have been crazy. Tucker walks with ease, he is able to focus on his job not on everything happening around him. He is also getting very confident, he walks proudly now... With an even bigger smile on his face. Ella is Ella, to know her is to love her. She walks with grace, like a show pony. She too is gaining confidence and is excited to learn more and more.
I chose Grassroots K9 because I have a very hectic work schedule that doesn't allow me to put in the time both of these beautiful dogs deserve. I wanted them to feel loved and at home while being away from home. When they are being picked up they don't look back... they walk confidently with their trainer excited to return to the farm. As a dog parent that is the best feeling knowing they are with family. My biggest advice to anyone who feels their dog needs specific training.... utilize the board and train, they will return a very happy dog!
I'm so proud of these doggies!!!!
Thank you Amy- Tucker and Ella are blessed to have a owner like you. True Dog Mom :)